emotional first aid
experience of a hug
concept design / 2018
L480 H1860
PVC, flock, screenprinting
lecturer Povilas Juškaitis
designboom about emotional first aid
the calvert journal about project
In today’s world there is prevails works, information turnover and excess. All these things causes emotional tension often. Modern person not always could spent plenty time and energy to communicate ingenuously with other people.
Social project „Emotional First Aid“ talk about real cause of problems. This is growing lonely society. They don‘t feel emotionally safe.
Sometimes it is enough hug and perception about our emotional needs. We forget these things in the face of rapid pace of life.
In the overcrowded world with technology and digital social networking we can replace one more need with simulacrum. This is cuddle.
Simulacrum (simulacra) - something that replaces reality with its representation (French philosopher Jean Baudrillard, 1929 – 2007, „Simulacra and Simulation“)
Social project „Emotional First Aid“ seeks to draw attention to loneliness and emotional safety and the stigmatization of these problems in modern society. It makes think about natural human needs and these needs substitutes like social networks, artificial intelligence, robots relationships between them.
Designer’s first inspiration was Hug Box. A hug machine, also known as a hug box, a squeeze machine, or a squeezebox, is a deep-pressure device designed to calm hypersensitive persons, usually individuals with autism spectrum disorders.
The most important thing for designer was find the best way to squeeze user gently. She makes many different prototypes. Also designer talks about this project with psychologists. They really like the idea to pay attention to these problems.
Designer choose safety equipment like the main graphic inspiration. We all have fire extinguisher or first aid for our physical safety, but we forget our emotional safety.
Fotografė Gintarė Vaicekauskaitė
Fotosesijoje dalyvavo: Danutė Vielavičienė, Audronė Lašienė,
Dominika Peldžiūtė, Lukas Avėnas, Laurynas Kamarauskas.
Ačiū psichologėms Irmai Skruibienei, Ievai Janulytei - Labokienei
už konsultacijos, bei patarimus.